


Veritaserum

by punky_96



Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F, crossover: harry potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 10:52:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12297702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punky_96/pseuds/punky_96
Summary: Re-post from LJ as I transfer.Winter vacation, the girls are home and everyone is preparing for an evening at the townhouse.  Crossover with Harry Potter elements in a DWP universe.





	Veritaserum

_**Veratiserum**_  
  
     “You will arrive at five and make sure the girls are ready. They need to be in their gowns and presentable.” Emily huffed as she walked by Andy and hoped that the girl was as good as the 'magical Harry Potter getting genius' that Miranda seemed to think she was.  
  
     “What do you mean?!” Andy whined as she followed Emily to the rack of clothes in the waiting area. “I can’t do hair and make-up for them. You have got to be kidding me, Emily!” Andy was already starting to get in her 'I’m so nervous to fail that I’m going to become angry and defiant mode.' She hated having to sink so low in order to get herself activated, but even in the middle of panic she knew that she was always able to pull off a miraculous feat of success. Well, except that time that Miranda wanted to fly home in the hurricane, but Andy justified her failure—at the time she was new to her job and didn’t fully understand the ramifications of being unable to fulfill her boss’ requests. Having been on the job precisely that moment’s worth of understanding longer, Andy did fully comprehend the consequences and it would not happen again.  
  
     “You just have to check on the little prima donnas, not dress them.” Emily rolled her eyes at her excuse for a co-worker. “Just make sure they are on-time, that’s all.” The dismissive phrase worked like magic and Andy shrugged letting Emily go on about her preparations for the evening as well.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
     Arriving early was a necessity in the lifestyle of Runway and it was an easy adaptation for Andy to make in her usual way of doing things. The girls on the other hand did not have to be early nor did they particularly care who they inconvenienced (or got fired). Andy arrived to a townhouse bustling with preparations for the evening, but no mischievous girls. There was still over an hour, but Andy thought it best not to push her luck hoping the girls were already getting ready and just go check on them. She figured that if she was assigned to check on the twins, then it had to be fair to go up the forbidden staircase and find them. Potentially taking her life in her hands, Andy started up the stairs with her hand on the banister. With each step her hope of hearing the twins or seeing them pop over the edge of the railing grew. Also with each step the silence away from the busy preparations settled in around her.  
  
     Andy swallowed hard when she reached the first floor landing where she knew the twins lived down the hall, and where she had come across Miranda and Stephen fighting many months ago. A chill ran down her spine at the memory of Miranda’s shocked and angry face looking at her. Mentally she pushed the image aside and crossed an invisible barrier onto the landing.  
  
     Twenty-three steps brought her to the twins’ bedroom doors. They were directly across from each other and Andy stood in the middle listening for sound from either side. She was rewarded after a few moments when she heard arguing to her left. Checking her watch again, Andy hoped that they were not doing what she thought they were doing. Continued muffled arguing came from within and Andy had no choice but to open the door.  
  
     “You’re just like mom!” Cassidy was shouting at Caroline. “The sorting hat  **WAS**  right! You belong in Slytherin!”  
  
     Andy was shocked and appalled to say the least.  
  
     “Merlin’s beard, Cassidy! I do not belong in Slytherin!” Caroline was on her feet and whipped something out of her sleeve.  
  
     Cassidy fumbled in her sleeve as well, but soon enough they were standing arms at the ready with wands.  
  
     COUGH. “Oh girls, I’m glad I found you.” Andy interrupted with what she hoped looked like surprise and not fear, shock, and dread. “We’re supposed to be ready in an hour, you know?” Andy sing-songed. She wondered how long she’d be able to keep her 'clueless girl from Ohio routine' going. Eventually someone would realize that she was far too functional and had been in NYC far too long to continue the charade. She figured she still had at least a few more months, although if the girls didn’t calm down she’d have to take drastic action.  
  
     Cassidy gave a flick of her wrist,  _“Tarantallegra!”_  
  
     The simultaneous flick and murmur from Caroline was,  _“Rictusempra!”_  
  
     Andy crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes as one’s legs started spasming out of control and the other began giggling like a monkey. They both were on the floor in no time and trying to still steady their wands for something new.  
  
      _“Finite Incantatem!”_  Andy snapped at them with a swish and flick of her own.  
  
     When the girls shot up looking at her in fear and awe, she added,  _“Confundo.”_   The girls looked about the room confusedly and she simply said. “Hand over your wands and be ready in thirty minutes.”  
  
     Nodding as they moved, the girls handed over their wands and stepped into the hallway. Andy followed them out of the room and watched them head toward the bathroom at the end of the hall. Suddenly, they turned around in defiance as comprehension dawned on them.  
  
     Andy arched an eyebrow at them similar to their mother’s look and shifted her weight from the left to the right. “I have to tell your mother, you know.” She tipped their wands at them. “What I tell her, well, that’s up to you two. Ready in thirty, girls.” Andy nodded at them in dismissal. They turned and she slipped their wands into her sleeve with her own. A single tap and the wands were secure. Andy headed downstairs wondering what she was going to tell Miranda now that the cat was most definitely out of the bag.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
     Emily arrived in a flurry at 5:50 and Andy pulled her into the front dry cleaning closet much to her flusterment. “What the hell, Andy!” She screeched as Andy let go of her arm.  
  
     Knowing Emily was a visual girl Andy pulled out the wands to show her. “Emily.”  
  
     The red head’s mouth dropped open. “Did they to hex you?!” She put her hand on her hip. “I hate when they do that to me! How did you get those away from them?”  
  
      Andy realized her mistake too late. Emily knew about the twins, but obviously wasn’t equipped to deal with them. She tried to shrug it off and slip the wands back into her sleeve. “Oh, I just surprised them and they dropped them.” Andy looked up from tapping her sleeve hoping that Emily believed her. She would never forgive herself if she had just revealed herself to a muggle.  
  
     “You had three wands!” Emily suddenly accused her. “That’s how you’ve been able to do it all! You bitch!” Emily turned full of righteous indignation toward the door.  
  
      _“Calloportus.”_  Andy muttered sealing the door so Emily could not escape. “Listen, Emily. The twins were fighting and using spells that were going to quickly get out of hand. I only interfered for their safety.” Andy looked pleadingly at Emily. “I haven’t used magic any other time here at Runway. I promise.”  
  
     Emily sucked in a reluctant breath of air and nodded at her. “Does Miranda know?” She sniffed. Then as ideas occurred to her she narrowed her eyes in suspicion again. “She’s testing you. That’s why she wanted that Harry Potter manuscript. Oh, I’ve had enough of this.” Emily stamped her foot in frustration.  
  
     “I have to tell her because the twins know now. That’s what I was going to talk to you about, before I realized—”  
  
     “I’m a squib!” Emily muttered with tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. Andy stepped forward to comfort her. “I thought you were a muggle.” She said with an equal mix of desperation and relief.  
  
     “Emily, I had no idea. Do they hex you pften?” Emily just looked at her. “They aren’t supposed to use magic outside of school. They’ll get in a lot of trouble.” Emily gasped as she thought of what the twin’s would do when they found out she had ratted them out. “I have to tell their mother anyway, so we might as well have it all out in the open before the Ministry gets wise to them. As much as Miranda hates Page 6… I’m sure she’s downright murderous when it comes to Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet.”  
  
*** *** ***  
  
     After the evening went off without a hitch and after everyone had gone home, Andy arrived again at the townhouse. Miranda called for the book and Andy was relieved she wouldn’t have to intrude on her boss. Handing it over she was hopeful that Miranda would start some kind of conversation, but she didn’t even look up from her computer as she said, “That’s all.”  
  
     Andy momentarily weighed her options and simply slipped the twins’ wands out of her sleeve and set them on top of the book as well. She got three steps into her retreat when she heard it. “Andrea.”  
  
     Steeling herself on the inside and wondering if she should have cast a protective charm on herself before entering the lion’s den, Andy turned around. “Yes, Miranda?”  
  
     A long slender finger pointed at the wands sitting atop the Book. An eyebrow raised in question. No words needed to be uttered. Andy told the story while Miranda watched her with closed lips and a tight expression on her face. Andy couldn’t tell what the expression meant and so she finished quickly and waited for Miranda to speak.  
  
     “Cassidy was the one making the accusation?”  
  
     Andy tilted her head uncertain why that was the first question. “Yes. When I walked in, but they had been arguing before I could hear them.”  
  
     Miranda fell silent as she thought of all the possibilities. “They hex Emily?” Andy simply nodded. Her intent was not to have the twins crucified, just reigned in while they weren’t at school. “And you disarmed them?”  
  
      _‘Ah ha.’_  Andy thought, _'now Miranda was getting to her point.'_ “Yes. I felt it necessary given what they had started in the house. I don’t want you on Page 6 and I don’t want you in the  Daily Prophet either.”  
  
     Miranda took the girls’ wands and slipped them in the desk drawer, muttering as she closed it. “Let me see your wand then.”  
  
     Andy wanted to deny she had a wand, wanted to refuse to hand it to Miranda, wanted to rewind all of this and start over. She had experienced enough at the hands of this woman that she did not want to be unarmed in her presence. It was the only thing that had saved her sanity during tense moments at Runway. She had always thought that she was the only one with a wand and that she could ultimately charm her way out of any situation, if she had to. She had only done so once when James Holt made a pass at her at a party, but she had relied on the idea of it the whole year.  
  
     “Just hold it out so I can inspect it, Andrea. I have to know as a mother.”  
  
     Andy complied holding her arm straight out with her wand over Miranda’s desk. With a tiny movement Miranda retrieved her wand and uttered,  _“Prior Incantato.”_  It revealed Andrea’s confundus charm and Miranda now satisfied sat back down. With a head nod she indicated the chair opposite her desk for Andrea. “What does Emily know?”  
  
     Andy shrugged. “Everything.”  
  
     Miranda sat forward in surprise. “Didn’t you use a memory charm on her or something?”  
  
     Andy let out a low laugh. “There’s no need, Miranda.” Watching as Miranda began to protest, she held up her hand. “The twins would just give it away again.” Andy sighed. “Besides Emily is a squib. Didn’t you know?”  
  
     Miranda twitched her head slightly in the negative.  
  
    “She accused me of using magic to get the job done.” Miranda arched her eyebrow again. Andy giggled. “As if I’d suck that bad, if I was using magic.” And shook her head. “As if.” Miranda let a slow smile grow and a twinkle began in her eye as Andy cracked herself up.  
  
     “No more secrets.” Miranda said thoughtfully.  
  
     Andy sat up straight and sobered quickly. “No.” She agreed. “No more secrets.” Looking at her watch Andy stood. “Can I help you with anything else, Miranda?”  
  
     Miranda stood as well and considered her young assistant and her reactions. “In a hurry, Andrea?” Miranda stepped to the side liquor cabinet and poured them each a drink. “Would you like a drink? I feel like celebrating.”  
  
     Andy turned to watch the amber liquid being poured into the glasses. “Sure.” She croaked out suddenly uncertain.  
  
     Reaching down and into the back of the liquor cabinet Miranda produced a small vial of liquid. “You reacted very quickly when I said ‘no secrets,’ Andrea. Why is that?” She paused looking intently at her assistant. “I wonder, do you have a secret?”  
  
     Andy gulped instantly feeling trapped in a room that was suddenly too small.  
  
     “Do you know what this is?” She held the vial so Andy could see it.  
  
     Andy nodded feeling very much like she had been caught out of bounds after dark. “Veritaserum.” She said quietly and full of dread.  
  
     Miranda turned and placed two drops in each glass.  
  
     “I don’t like secrets, Andrea.” Miranda picked up the glasses and walked over to hand Andy hers. “Now that all the magical secrets are revealed, I see no sense in keeping the only remaining secret that I have.”  
  
     Andy was not sure what to make of Miranda lingering so close to her, or putting the serum in her own glass as well, or what she was saying about a remaining secret. The smell of Miranda was utterly bewitching and being this close to her was beyond intoxicating. In the back of her mind she knew that it was like a siren calling her to certain death if she combined all of this with not only alcohol, but truth serum as well. It was no use though, Andy’s brain was not hearing any alarms. Miranda slowly circled the rim of her glass with a long delicate finger and Andy licked her lips certain she would jump off the ship and swim to shore no matter the cost.  
  
     “Drink with me, Andrea?”  
  
*** *** ***  
  
     Loud steps preceded the twins’ entry to the kitchen as did their conversation. “What do you think Mom’s going to do to us?” Cassidy asked her sister as they came in from the hallway.  
  
     Caroline shrugged. “I guess it depends on what Andy heard and what Andy told her.”  
  
     Both twins stopped short and literally grabbed the sides of their faces as their mouths made perfect ‘o’s of confused shock. Andy and Miranda looked up from the Daily Prophet Crossword puzzle they had been working on over their coffee and toast. They shared a pleased smile as they set their coffee mugs down and Miranda reached out her hand to gather some breakfast for the girls. “Now girls.” Miranda said as she continued to bring things to the table with a wave of her hand. “We have a lot to discuss.” Andy giggled as the twins silently took their seats and stared at her.

  
_**—FIN** _ _**  
** _


End file.
